Krishna Swaminathan

Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, AVSM, VSM is a serving Flag officer in the Indian Navy. He currently serves as the Chief of Staff of the Western Naval Command. He earlier served as the Flag Officer Defence Advisory Group (FODAG), Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF) and Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST). He was the second Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.

In this Indian name, the name Swaminathan is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Krishna.
Vice Admiral

Krishna Swaminathan

AVSM, VSM
BornBangalore, Karnataka, India
Allegiance India
Service/branch Indian Navy
Years of service1987 - present
Rank Vice Admiral
Commands heldWestern Fleet
INS Vikramaditya (R33)
INS Mysore (D60)
INS Kulish (P63)
INS Vinash (K47)
INS Vidyut (K48)
Awards Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
Vishisht Seva Medal

Early life and education

Krishna was born to D Swaminathan and Shanta Swaminathan, both teachers, in Bangalore. The Swaminathans resided in NR Colony in Basavanagudi. He attended the Bishop Cotton Boys' School until the age of 11. He then attended the Sainik School, Bijapur.[1] He then joined and graduated from the National Defence Academy, Pune.

Krishna was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 July 1987. He is a specialist in Communication and Electronic Warfare. He has completed the staff course at the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham in the United Kingdom and the higher command course at the College of Naval Warfare in Mumbai. He has also attended the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island in the United States.

Krishna has commanded five front-line ships of the Indian Navy. He has commanded the Veer-class corvettes - INS Vidyut (K48) and INS Vinash (K47), the Kora-class guided-missile corvette INS Kulish (P63) and the guided missile destroyer INS Mysore (D60).

On 2 November 2015, Krishna took command of the flagship of the Indian Navy, the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (R33) as its second commanding officer.[2][3] He has served on the staff of the Western Fleet, has served as an instructor at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. As a Commodore, he served as the Naval Assistant (NA) to the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Robin K. Dhowan.[4]

Flag rank

On promotion to Flag Rank, Krishna took over as the Chief Staff Officer (Training) at the Southern Naval Command, the training command of the Indian Navy. On 18 March 2019, he assumed the office of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) at Kochi. As FOST, his charter included the conduct of the operational sea training of all ships of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.[5]

Krishna took command of the Western Fleet on 14 February 2020 as the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet.[6][7] For his command of the western fleet, on 26 January 2021, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.[8] In February 2021, he relinquished command of the Western Fleet and was appointed Flag Officer Defence Advisory Group and took over from Rear Admiral Ravindra Jayant Nadkarni.[9][10] After a short stint as FODAG, on 4 November 2021, he was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral and appointed Chief of Staff of the Western Naval Command at Mumbai.[11]

Awards and decorations
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Vishisht Seva Medal Samanya Seva Medal Operation Vijay Medal
Operation Parakram Medal Sainya Seva Medal 50th Anniversary of Independence Medal 30 Years Long Service Medal
20 Years Long Service Medal 9 Years Long Service Medal

Source:[12]

See also

References
  1. Rao R., Sunitha. "B'luru boy followed dreams to head INS Vikramaditya". The Times of India.
  2. "Captain Krishna Swaminathan takes over Command of Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya". pib.gov.in.
  3. Desk, OneIndia Defence (2 November 2015). "Bengalurian takes over as Commanding Officer of INS Vikramaditya". oneindia.com.
  4. "Captain Krishna Swaminathan takes over Command of Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya". pib.gov.in.
  5. "Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, VSM assumes Charge as Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST)". pib.gov.in.
  6. "Rear Admiral Krishna D Swaminathan, VSM Assumes Charge as Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, Mumbai". indiannavy.nic.in.
  7. "Bangalorean Navy officer to take over as Fleet Commander of Western Fleet". Deccan Herald. 14 February 2020.
  8. "Distinguished Service and Gallantry Award Winners on Republic Day 2021". pib.gov.in.
  9. "REAR ADMIRAL AJAY KOCHHAR ASSUMES COMMAND OF THE WESTERN FLEET (FOCWF)". PIB. 24 February 2021.
  10. Jun 11, TNN /. "Before rescue, Navy quelled fear in sailors | Ahmedabad News - Times of India". The Times of India.
  11. "Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan assumed charge as Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command". pib.gov.in.
  12. "Visit of Japanese Navy Ship to Kochi | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
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